I'd rather be having a quiet drink... and can be followed on Twitter @alcothusiast; and friended on Untappd (handle: "neilcake" - all welcome).

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

Spirit Log: del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal

First a bit of an introduction to Mezcal

As I was nearing the
end of my latest tequila brand – elJimador Reposado– I began contemplating its replacement. I felt I’d almost
exhausted the decent affordable brands, and the last time I spent a significant
amount on tequila (Siete Leguas) , I hadn’t felt it represented good
value for money so… what to do? How about spend even more money on something a bit different?Yes, I came to the conclusion that it was about time I tried
Mezcal.

So what is it?

Well, without
wanting to get too factual and precise, I’ll tell you what I’ve been telling my
friends. And that is, Mezcal is like tequila, but it is more of an artisan spirit. While tequila tends to
be produced on an industrial scale, Mezcal is handcrafted in villages,
following traditional methods that have been passed down the generations. That
does mean it is likely that the distributer buys it for peanuts and sells it at
an immense profit, which doesn’t make you feel particularly good, but that’s
economics and I don’t have any Mexican road trips planned for a while.

Both spirits are
made from forms of agave. The pina or
heart of the plants are removed and, in tequila production, cooked in ovens. In
mezcal production, they are roasted for several days in pit ovens – this can
give mezcal a naturally smokey flavour.

Tequila comes from
the Jalisco region of Mexico, while most mezcal comes from Oaxaca.

So, a leisurely but
intense internet search led me here, to the del Maguey brand and specifically
the Chichicapa expression. Del Maguey is a brand founded by a certainRonald Cooper to export ‘previously
unavailable certified organic, artisanal, single
village mezcal.’ This one is named after the village of Chichicapa, where
it is made. The location of the village is described as follows:

“two hours south of
Oaxaca, and 2 hours to the west on a dirt road… Chichicapa is separated from
the valley of Oaxaca by a mountain range. The valley is broad, about thirty
miles deep and ten miles wide”.

Thirty miles deep?
Really? I’m not sure I’m understanding all this information; if there’s a
mountain range between the village and the valley… why are they telling us
about the valley? Presumably something is lost in translation.

All the mezcals offered
by del Maguey differ depending on the various topographies of the growing
zones, and are presented in cheeky green bottles with ‘beautifully rendered
labels’. I read this bit about ‘beautifully rendered labels’, and went, so? But when my bottle arrived I took a
look and went, you know? That is quite
beautifully rendered… Similarly, nearly everyone I’ve shown it to has
commented on it.

Let’s have a look at
some of the things I read online that led to me parting ways with something
around 70 quid.

What the Internet Says

Well, generally the
internet loves the Chichicapa. Proof 66 says it is aged for 14 years
prior to bottling – which is certainly not true, though there may be a 14 year
old version. It goes on to say:

"Where good
tequila is like a museum tour of tradition and excellence [is it?], the Chichicapa hits you like a trip on Space Mountain in
Disneyland, shoving all decorum aside in a mad, screaming rush of flavor. A
little water in the glass opens up a truly magical trip that we can only
describe as a 'symphony of flowers.'” – which is nice.

While researching I
came across tequilatuesday.co.uk that appears to specialise in selling tequilas
and suchlike, but their prices are ridiculous! The Chichicapa was like £20 more
expensive than anywhere else. And they sell single
limes for 65p. Who is this aimed at? Someone who can’t buy limes with their
normal shopping? You’d have to be nuts to buy from there.

So anyway, I got my
mezcal from The Whisky Exchange and I was disappointed to find it arrived without the special case I’d read so
much about, and it was only 70cl instead of the advertised 75. Still, credit to
The Whisky Exchange who called me up to tell me they’d refund the postage
(which worked out to slightly more
than the missing 5cl was worth) and have a poke around “downstairs” to see if
they had any of the cases lying around. It seems they did because they sent me
two. Good lads.

I saved opening for
a night with Pablo and Veronica, and here’s what we found.

Smokey with tones of
lemon and vinegar on the palate. Sometimes it reminds me of vodka when you’ve
added too much lemon, but that’s a good thing because I can enjoy the citrus
notes without actually adding any. If I add any to vodka, it just makes me feel
guilty – like it’s cheating.

All that extra
alcohol provides a really pleasant numbness.

Results

The del Maguey has
proved very popular with the various guests we’ve had round at the new gaff.
Pablo overindulged royally, Gav and David were impressed, and then Pits enjoyed
a few generous measures mightily. All this means I’ve only opened the bottle on
5 occasions, and there’s barely a dribble left. Not great value in terms of
longevity for the £70 outlay, but it’s nice to share with friends, and I
haven’t been sorry one bit.

Conclusion

Would I buy this
again, or even spend this much on mezcal again? Should you? It’s certainly an
easy way to impress your friends. Everyone wants to know what it is and give it
a try, and if you can remember how to describe how it differs from tequila, you
can look all cultured and interesting. Claims that it is as complex as good
scotch though, are in my opinion unfounded. Perhaps if I had ever added water I
would have understood that assertion, but it’s only 46%... adding water just never
seemed appropriate.

it should say this on all spirits. Even the bad ones.

It isn’t really £70
worth of spirit in my opinion, but you live and learn, and I’ll be going back
to trying tequilas for a bit. This is the kind of purchase you need to build up
to if you’re ever going to repeat it. So yes, I enjoyed it and I enjoyed
sharing it and appearing generous and cultured, and I suppose all that is
included in the price.

1 comment:

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Definitions

What happens when you zone out after having had a cheeky lunchtime pint.

Alcothusiast:

Not an alcoholic, someone who appreciates booze.

Anxiety, The:

The uneasy feeling that accompanies any noteworthy hangover.

Booze Buffet Mentality:

The propensity people have to go nuts whenever there's a free bar.

Booze Porn:Photos of alcohol.

Bread Chest:Not booze related, but this term describes the indigestion you get from eating too many bread products too quickly. Just putting it out there...

Crawler's Block:The inability to decide where to go next during a pub crawl - often resulting in crawl stagnation and someone saying, "shall we just have another one here?"

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Excess Induced Alcohol Aversion:An intolerance for a drink caused (usually) by one occasion of overindulgence.

The Family:My whisky collection.

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Moment of Maximum Appreciation. Every bottle has one. It's the time you drink it where you enjoy it most.

Old Man Pub:Traditional British pub, renowned for being quiet, cosy and frequented by old men. Much favoured by people who like a nice chat while they drink.Psychological Drinks Cabinet:Collective term relating to the kinds of alcoholic drinks a person has need for.Road Beers:

Cans of beer that you take with you when you go out, to consume on the way.

The 3 Types of Rum:White, gold and dark. Together they form the base of many a great cocktail.

About Me

Neil Cake is interested in all types of booze, but is by no means an authority or expert. Most of the time he's just trying to be funny, but he is learning, and enjoys sharing his adventures and what he learns on the Drink it How You Like it blog.
Thengyuverrymuuuuuch.